Pineyard — Restaurant in Pahang

TL;DR: go if you have to. Go once. Be early. You probably won't go back again.

Be early. I cannot stress this enough. Fortunately, my partner and I were a little too early. As Pineyard is located at the entrance to some private residences, the security guard won't let you in to park, till it's time to do so - 8.45am or so. If you get there earlier, you'll have to wait.

And a word about waiting: because it's such a popular destination, there will be a mad rush for limited parking spots. And the other mad rush is getting in queue for a table; it's madness - I have not said this enough. We were fortunate to be the very first to be seated, but the line behind us was long - very long. And we only had more people joining the queue when the clock struck 9am.

Once you're in, be prepared for a 40 to 45 min wait for your food. So if you arrive at Pineyard and aren't among the first batch of customers, you're looking at seated guests who will be waiting 45 mins for their food, and then spend another hour eating, while the queue only grows... You've been warned. Be late and be prepared to wait. Bring a book. Or a sleeping bag. Or join the crowd of people staring at and posing for pictures in front of the pond.

Ambience: you truly feel like you're in a forest retreat, and this atmosphere is reinforced with all the wood paneling you can stand; from the roof, rafters and pillars, the place feels classy with modern touches amidst a surfeit of venerability; it felt like an elegant marriage of wood and understated, modern decor. The best seats are those facing an artificial pond - the one bit of dissonance beneath a sprawling wall of green rising from it. Still, the setting felt sufficiently arboreal in all it's splendour.

The food: pretty "well-oiled" with butter everywhere. Greasy is an easy description. The bread, this time, was horribly chewy and hard, even if fried or grilled in butter. The big breakfast was ok and not inspiring, but it hit the spot. The grilled sandwhich was let down by the bread, and the eggs benedict was pretty sparse on smoked salmon. The coffee, however, was formidable: black, strong and hoary. A pro-tip: don't order the big breakfast, because literally everybody and their grandmothers will order the big breakfast. Do yourself and the short-order cook a favour and order everything but the big breakfast and you'll get your food faster.

Verdict: would I go back? If we run out of ideas and didn't have a choice, maybe, but the thought of getting in queue is off-putting. And: I wish they didn't have a pond; a running stream would have been nice. If they had that, I'd be there for several hours just soaking everything in.

Side note: as mentioned before, we were early. But I had a good time driving off toward Kampung Janda Baik, stopping by a babbling brook, and watching kids play at the Riverside Glamping spot. Exploring Janda Baik in the wee hours of the morning...

We went to Pineyard for the first time on 2nd May 2022, which was a replacement public holiday for Labor Day as it fell on a Sunday this year. We arrived at the cafe slightly after 9 a.m., with the expectation that there would be not much crowd, since 9 a.m. is their opening hours. Lo and behold, there was already a line stretching from the entrance of the cafe to the awning of the hall next to it! We were tempted to leave and find another place to enjoy our breakfast, but we finally decided to duke it out since we were already here.

My husband proceeded to register his name and phone number in the waiting list, and he was advised by the waiter that the waiting would be around 1 hour. Luckily for all the waiting parties, the cafe is situated amongst a picturesque landscape, with a pond and lush trees surrounding the cafe. It also helped that the sun was shining very brightly that day, with the sun rays dancing upon the surface of the pond. We went around taking photos of the beautiful scenery and our children having fun around the area, and before we knew it, we were called to be seated after approximately a 40-minute wait.

After we made our order, we waited for about 15 minutes or so before some of our food arrived, which was reasonable, considering the crowd. I ordered the Pineyard Toast Set (RM 19) and the Pineyard Salad (RM 26); to my surprise, the salad exceeded my expectations with the highlight being its passion fruit dressing, which went really well with its mix of leafy raw vegetables, cherry tomato, pomegranate, jackfruit, quinoa cracker and feta cheese. The Toast Set, on the other hand, was meh for me. The toasted sourdough bread was too hard for my liking (as opposed to the hainanese toast), and the kaya, which looked "home made" to me, didn't taste any near as good as the good kopitiams out there.

My hubby ordered the salmon steak (RM 49) while my kids ordered the Big Breakfast (RM 33), and they enjoyed the food for the most part. My kids didn't like the roasted sweet potatoes and yam that came with the Big Breakfast; they were expecting french fries :P. On my part, I gotta am say I really like the green pea sauce that went with the salmon steak.

All in all, nice atmosphere inside and out, and generally decent food. Would I come again? Only if I'm bringing someone who has never been to Pineyard, cuz the food does not warrant the long wait to...

⭐ 1-Star Experience — Rude, Unwelcoming, and Unprofessional Staff. Avoid This Place at All Costs. I wanted to start my Saturday morning with peace, beauty, and breakfast. My first destination, Lemuni, was closed for a private event—so I rerouted to this place. Big mistake.

I arrived at 8:00 AM, excited to explore the space before their breakfast service started at 9:00 AM. The guards let me in without hesitation, and my husband—an architect—was admiring the raw structure. We were genuinely enjoying the space, taking videos for TikTok and Instagram, excited to promote this location.

But the experience took a nasty turn.

Suddenly, a short, stouted, Chinese angry woman with glasses stormed in—clearly a staff member—and humiliated the guard right in front of me, scolding him as if she was a prison warden. I politely explained we were just enjoying the space before breakfast and had every intention to wait until opening time.

Instead of responding with an ounce of professionalism or basic human courtesy, she gave me a look like I had broken into her house. No smile, no welcome, no manners—just disgust on her face and condescension in her voice.

Let me be clear: I wasn’t asking for VIP treatment. I didn’t demand anything. I simply entered through an open gate, was let in by staff, and was enjoying the ambiance. The correct response would have been a simple: "Hi, we’re happy to have you, but the space opens to guests at 8:30. You're welcome to wait at the entrance." That’s it.

But instead? I felt like a criminal. I left before even tasting the food because the whole vibe was tainted. If this is how they treat guests who come with good intentions and promotional potential, imagine how they treat regular walk-ins.

Final thoughts: Rude and unprofessional staff Zero hospitality or emotional intelligence Beautiful space ruined by horrible human interaction Staff publicly belittling their own team—disgusting to witness Made to feel unwelcome and embarrassed for no reason

I was going to post a glowing review on my social platforms. Instead, I’m warning others: Don’t waste your time or energy here.

I’ll be promoting Lemuni instead—for their excellent, respectful, and polished team who actually know what hospitality means.

Pro tip: If you value dignity, kindness, or even a smile—go...